“The Teacher’s Guide to Student Mental Health is a practitioner-friendly resource that serves as a comprehensive road map for understanding school mental health and the implementation of evidence-based practices across classroom settings. A leading expert in his field, Dikel (child and adolescent psychiatrist) embeds years of clinical and field experiences into three distinct sections ('Why School Mental Health?' 'The Scope of Mental Health Disorders Affecting Children and Adolescents,' and 'A School’s Mental Health Framework') and strategically guides readers through the complexities of such timely topics.The wealth of knowledge captured in each section exemplifies the significance of school-based mental health service and support. This guide should be a permanent reference in the public and personal libraries of practitioners and parents who seek an extensive review of evidence-based techniques to effectively address factors associated with school mental health.”

I’m hoping that this book will find a wide audience of teachers, as well as school social workers, school psychologists, counselors, school nurses, principals, superintendents, school board members and directors of special education.

We know that America's growing obesity problem is affecting children and teenagers physically, but did you know that pediatric obesity is correlated to serious mental health issues? As an M.D., I think it's important to look at the whole student. That's why I have frequently addressed the issues of health, nutrition, exercise, environmental toxins and other factors in presentations to educators and school administrators.

I recently added 2 slide presentations to my Articles and Papers section that are focused on nutrition, lifestyle and student mental health. If you're interested in learning how diet, nutrition, sleep, and exercise could be affecting your students emotionally and psychologically, feel free to browse these documents.

The recent media attention on Elliot Rodger’s Isla Vista, California mass murder/suicide and on John LaDue of Waseca, Minnesota’s alleged foiled bomb plot illustrates the complexity of the issue of youth violence.

Whereas Rodgers was noted to have a long history of severe psychiatric symptoms, LaDue was described as a young man who did well in school and who had no obvious symptoms of a mental health disorder.

Additionally, the overwhelming majority of individuals who have severe psychiatric disorders similar to Rodgers’ do not engage in acts of violence. The media tends to oversimplify the questions of what can be done to predict and to prevent violence. Unfortunately, by focusing on these types of rare events, the media tends to sensationalize the issue and sheds little light on the overall topic of youth violence. For more information on this topic, please download my presentation, “Psychiatric Aspects of Youth Violence” and my paper, “School Shootings and Student Mental Health: What Lies Beneath the Tip of the Iceberg” in the articles and papers section of this website.

I'm excited to announce that my latest book, "The Teacher's Guide to Student Mental Health," is now available for pre-ordering on Amazon. I've spent quite a bit of time developing this information for educators who want to learn more about working with children or adolescents who have mental health issues.

The blurb from Amazon reads, "From ADHD to schizophrenia and everything in between, what teachers need to know about their students’ mental health.”

"Teachers are often the first to notice kids’ mental health issues. This book, the first of its kind, gives teachers an understanding of everything from depression and anxiety to OCD and trauma. Including a section on working with mental health professionals, this book will help teachers to help their students."

The book is available to purchase on Amazon and will be in stores in July, 2014. I hope educators everywhere will find it a helpful resource for student mental health information and I look forward to your comments and questions!

Author

Dr. William Dikel is a board certified child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist who provides a wide variety of psychiatric consultation services. He is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and provides consultation state-wide and nationally.